The Matthew Knies trade suggestion that has Leafs fans doing a double take
Photo credit: Dan Hamilton-Imagn Images
A trade proposal floating around involving Matthew Knies is making fans double take at the offer, considering that what Toronto gets in return may not fix anything.
With the Maple Leafs looking to make some moves this season, there have been no shortage of rumours thrown around with the potential to bring back a lot of assets as long as the team doesn't mind waving the white flag on this season.
However in their quest to retool, they are going to need young, fresh faces to build around their stars and one name who could feasibly do so is St. Louis Blues center Robert Thomas.
Thrown around in rumours himself, Thomas would be the perfect piece to give Toronto that star 2C to replace John Tavares (who could slide down or to the wing) and look towards the future.
Toronto wants Thomas? They'll have to ask Knies-ly
That cost though is going to come at the expense of arguably their best asset for the next decade.
Michael Augelio, Maple Leafs reporter believes that the only way Toronto can even sniff the chance to get Thomas will involve them trading Matthew Knies:
The only way theyre getting Robert Thomas is by trading Matthew Knies. You know, Thomas is a center, he's making $8.5-million and Knies is making what, $7.75-million for the next five years?
He's only 23, that's a deal I think Doug Armstrong or Alex Steen does. But again, is Robert Thomas the cure? I mean he's a good center, I think he's a nice number two behind Matthews.
Does he cure all their ills? No. There are too many ills to cure.
He's only 23, that's a deal I think Doug Armstrong or Alex Steen does. But again, is Robert Thomas the cure? I mean he's a good center, I think he's a nice number two behind Matthews.
Does he cure all their ills? No. There are too many ills to cure.
Nothing wrong with Thomas, but dangling Knies -- who has the potential to be a future leader and captain in the NHL, is a really hard bargain.
Comparatively, you can't really say they both have the same careers as Knies has nearly 300 less games played in his career, and Thomas is still only 26. Looking at the stats alone won't give you the bigger picture because obviously time favours Thomas.
Knies brings such a unique and powerful mix of speed, strength, scoring ability, stickhandling, and toughness that only few in the entire league can match. He's flexible anywhere in the lineup, and is a much better playmaker than people think.
You're still getting a great center in Thomas, who can give Toronto a lot of help at both ends of the ice, has familiarity with Craig Berube, and has won a Cup to boot.
But with questions about Berube's future as well, trading Knies for Thomas might look like a good idea in theory, but practically it makes no sense. If Berube isn't there and Thomas doesn't gel with the coach, then what?
There's nothing wrong with feeling out offers, but if Brad Treliving decides to give the Blues a future superstar and it backfires? That is likely the end of his time in Toronto as well.
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| POLL | ||
FEVRIER 3|1059 ANSWERS The Matthew Knies trade suggestion that has Leafs fans doing a double take Do you think trading Matthew Knies for Robert Thomas is a good idea? | ||
| Yes | 165 | 15.6 % |
| No | 894 | 84.4 % |
| List of polls | ||